What Can You Do To Conserve Genetic Diversity?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Cary Fowler, Charlotte Lusty and Maria Vinje Dodson, and Global Crop Diversity Trust, "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 3) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 3. Verbatim.

Visit a local Farmers’ Market. The farmers usually grow and sell local varieties of fruits and vegetables that you won’t find in the supermarket. By buying their products you are encouraging the farmers to continue growing genetically distinct varieties.

Try growing local fruits and vegetables at home. If you grow two different types of tomatoes, you may seehow they sprout, flower and fruit at different times. You will also see how they taste different too!

You can grow plants native to your area in your garden.

You can encourage your school or neighbourhood to set up community gardens. 

Turn vacant or abandoned areas into green lots, where everyone can plant fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers and any other plants they would like to grow. For inspiration visit www.nybg.org/green_up. 

You can join a group that helps to conserve diversity or to protect the environment. For example, look for groups that plant trees, take care of animals or run urban farms or gardens.

Reducing waste, recycling garbage and using environmentally-friendly cleaning products all help to protect the environment and reduce the threat to endangered species. 

Give a presentation about genetic diversity at your school. You can, for example, talk about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, where hundreds of thousands of food seeds are being kept safe for the future. You can read more about it at www.croptrust.org.